Published 10:52 am, Friday, June 13, 2014

Martha Turner broker associate Leann Salmons and her assistant Millard âSpurâ Wood pitched in to make Oak Forestâs Movie Night a good time â and a great event for Rescued Pets Movement.

Martha Turner broker associate Leann Salmons and her assistant Millard âSpurâ Wood pitched in to make Oak Forestâs Movie Night a good time â and a great event for Rescued Pets Movement.

Image 2 of 3

A good time was had by all at the first Top Golf Tournament. Participants included (left to right): Danny Frank, Coldwell Banker United, Realtors; Suzanne Richards, Bernstein Realty; Chance Brown, Realty One Group; Chaille Ralph, Heritage Texas Properties; and Don Raskin, Century 21. less

A good time was had by all at the first Top Golf Tournament. Participants included (left to right): Danny Frank, Coldwell Banker United, Realtors; Suzanne Richards, Bernstein Realty; Chance Brown, Realty One ... more

Food trucks, Fido and the film Frozen were the order of the day at the recent Oak Forest movie night. Martha Turner Sotheby's was again a major sponsor of the event bringing more than 500 residents together from one of Houston's largest subdivisions.

Broker/associate Leann Salmons, who lives and works in Oak Forest, spearheaded the office fundraising for the evening's charity, Rescued Pets Movement. In less than a week, they raised almost $1,000 in cash and gift cards as well as a truck-load of pet toys, food and other pet-care items. She and her assistant Millard "Spur" Wood attended the event with their families and delivered the Martha Turner donations.

Greenwood King agent Edie Archer accepted an award from the Rice Design Alliance Annual Meeting last week on behalf of Greenwood King in recognition of the real estate company's 25 years of loyal corporate support in the advancement of architecture, urban design and built environment in the Houston area. Linda Sylvan, executive director of the RDA, praised the company's long-term commitment to community when presenting the award.

Martha Turner's Karen Harberg, with her husband, Jay, and their extended family, was honored with the Rabbi Samuel E. Karff (STET) Leadership Award as the family was called to the bimah for a special blessing at Congregation Beth Israel. Founded in 1854, Congregation Beth Israel is the oldest synagogue in Texas. The Harberg family can trace its roots with the first rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel.

Ed Wolff of Beth Wolff Realtors was presented the Spirit of Leadership Award from Congregation Beth Israel for his ongoing support of education in Houston.

"Education is the key to our city's future," he said. His twin daughter and son, Tenley and Jake, attend the language magnet school, Kolter Elementary, but Wolff said he strives to maintain excellence for all students. "Strong schools and school systems are a major factor for continued relocation to Houston. Our schools are also responsible for affording a good workforce," he said.

Neil Caldwell of Bernstein took the opportunity of a recent Houston forum to tell presumed presidential candidate Rick Santorum about Homes for Heroes. "Prior to the forum beginning, I had a table in the lobby and talked to as many people as I could about, telling them about Bernstein Realty and Homes for Heroes," Caldwell said.

Homes for Heroes is a national program founded in the wake of 9/11 offering discounts in housing services to teachers, firefighters, public safety officers, health-care workers, military personnel and others who provide quality services to the public every day. For more information, visit homesforheroes.com.

Your columnist again survived the cross-country trek with three aging, persnickety cats to our summer home on Lake Erie in western New York. I believe they are plotting for the trip home. While I do hold the Certified Negotiation Expert designation, it is not near enough to get my husband to swap his passenger (our Labrador Retriever) for the cat cabal on the way back to Texas. In the meantime, keep those column items coming at realnewshouston@gmail.com. I'm always happy to share the amusing and amazing things our real estate community does above and beyond home sales.

Latest from the Chron.com Homepage

Click below for the top news from around the Houston area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.